Frances Tiafoe paid tribute to Roger Federer’s tremendous impact on the game, adding that there will never be another Federer again. Federer, 41, is regarded as the quintessential tennis icon, with the Swiss seen by many as the one who took the game to the next level and popularized the game.
“I mean, the impact he had on the game is incredible. I mean, we will always remember Roger Federer. Because there will never be another. Nobody will play like him. Nobody will act like him.
He never sweated, never had a crease in his shirt. I’m glad I played against him. I’m happy to call him a friend,” Tiafoe said on the ATP Tennis Radio podcast.
Tiafoe on his match against Federer in the Swiss final
At the end of September, Federer retired from professional tennis at the Laver Cup.
In the last match of his career, Federer teamed up with Rafael Nadal. In London, Federer and Nadal took on Tiafoe and Jack Sock. Tiafoe and Sock, representing Team World at the Laver Cup, defeated Federer and Nadal 4-6, 7-6(2), 11-9.
“To play with them, even if one of them hasn’t retired, to play together is iconic and the last game of the Fed. So it’s even more iconic and the crowd goes wild,” Tiafoe reflected.
While Federer and Nadal played their match, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray supported them from the Team Europe bench. After Federer’s career officially ended, the Swiss and his biggest rivals all got excited.
“The kids came down and everybody, mom came down, I mean everybody was crying — Novak and Rafa and Murray, I was like, ‘Ah damn!’ you have to think. I mean, these are the guys who played against him.
The greatest rivals of all time. They cry and I said, ‘Oh man! He’s crazy,'” Tiafoe said.
